Indoor Air Quality: What Is It? Why Do You Need It?

Indoor air quality, also known as IAQ amongst HVAC professionals, refers to the quality of the air inside a residential or a commercial structure, such as a home or an office building. Scarily enough, the United States Environmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air pollution a top-five environmental danger. To reduce your risk of suffering the health effects caused by indoor pollutants, read on to learn more about IAQ and how to improve it in your home in Mattoon, Illinois.

What Contributes to Poor Indoor Air Quality?

There are numerous factors that contribute to poor IAQ, including poor ventilation, extreme humidity levels and human behaviors like smoking inside. Common household products like air fresheners and toxic cleaners, also known as volatile organic compounds, can also release harmful pollutants into the air.

7 Widespread Sources of Indoor Air Pollution in Mattoon, Illinois

Asbestos found in old building materials

Biological contaminants like pollen and pet dander

Carbon monoxide from furnaces and tobacco smoke

Formaldehyde found in many household products

Lead found in old lead-based paints

Nitrogen dioxide from unvented combustion appliances

Pesticides such as insecticides and disinfectants

What are the Consequences of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Household occupants exposed to poor IAQ might suffer from health effects immediately after or years later. To reduce the risk of the following health concerns stemming from poor IAQ, it’s important to test for and fix it right away.

Possible Short- and Long-Term Health Effects

Irritation of the eyes, throat and nose

Headaches, fatigue and dizziness

Respiratory diseases like asthma

Heart disease and cancer

What Can You Do to Fix Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Scheduling a professional IAQ test should be your first step. In addition to investing in products that clean your indoor air environment, including Trane’s CleanEffects Air Cleaner, take these additional steps to improve your IAQ.

Prevent mold: Properly ventilate rooms where high humidity is common, including kitchens and bathrooms.

Act smart: Adopt a smoke-free home, arm it with a carbon monoxide detector and test it often for radon gas.

For more tips about improving your home’s IAQ, or if you’d like more information about the exclusive line of Trane’s indoor air quality solutions we offer to our customers in Mattoon, Illinois, contact Mattex Heating, Cooling and Plumbing today at (217) 331-6174. As a dedicated Trane dealer, we look forward to proving why we’re the best option in the area.